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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22862302">Easy to love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elisexyz/pseuds/Elisexyz'>Elisexyz</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Once Upon a Time (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baelfire | Neal Cassidy Lives, Everybody Lives, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Morning After</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 05:49:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>652</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22862302</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elisexyz/pseuds/Elisexyz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>If his memories are so clear, it’s probably not a dream, right?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Baelfire | Neal Cassidy/Emma Swan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Easy to love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for the Tumblr prompt: <a href="https://heytheredeann.tumblr.com/post/611143661811531776/13-my-lovely-swanfire-otp">"Sleeping with you was the best sleep I’ve gotten in years." + Swanfire</a>. It's set in some Neal Lives AU, in which they are dating again and this is their first morning after. Enjoy the fluff!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For a second there, he honestly believes that he’s still asleep.</p><p>Maybe he watched some crappy romcom before heading to bed, because Emma is sitting on a chair by the window, letting a crack of light in, naked legs crossed to hold up the papers she’s reading. And she’s wearing his shirt, he’s pretty sure.</p><p>So, yeah. Romcom-y dream.</p><p>Except he blinks away the sleepy fog in his eyes and Emma is still there, looking beautifully pissed at whatever she’s reading, and memories of the previous night keep coming back to him and — he’s pretty sure that they <em>did</em> have a date, that it <em>did</em> end with them getting to his apartment and that Emma <em>did</em> have her hands up his shirt before they had even reached the bedroom.</p><p>If his memories are so clear, it’s probably not a dream, right?</p><p>Still, he digs his thumbnail in his palm for good measure. Better to be sure.</p><p>“’Morning,” he eventually says, voice a little hoarse with sleep but a grin flickering on his face.</p><p>Emma’s head shoots up, her eyes wide. “It <em>is</em> morning,” she eventually says, clearly shocked beyond words. “What are you doing already up? It’s a miracle!”</p><p>“Asshole,” he mutters, affectionately, pressing his face against the pillow. “I’ll be back to sleep in a minute, just watch.”</p><p>“Yeah, you do that, take advantage of your luck,” she mutters, clicking the pen against her chin as she glares at the papers in her hands.</p><p>“What are you doing?”</p><p>He’s fairly sure he’ll end up regretting the question.</p><p>“Do you know what happens if some moron decides to try and make a potion for eternal youth, blowing up half a building in the process?” she asks, the big smile on her face a touch too maniacal for his tastes.</p><p>He hesitates. “No?”</p><p>“<em>Paperwork</em>, that’s what happens!” she bursts out, waving the papers around. “So now I get to spend the rest of my days doing this.”</p><p>There are few things that Neal finds more adorable than her cross little frown. It’s enough to make him smile and give him the necessary will to push himself up. When he starts walking up to her, Emma looks at him in surprise.</p><p>“Come on, how long do you think that will take?” he asks, coming up behind her and resting his chin on her shoulder to take a look at the papers – though, admittedly, his brain is still not cooperative enough for him to actually focus on the meaning of the words.</p><p>Emma puffs. “One hour, probably.”</p><p>“And with my help?”</p><p>She turns to him, eyebrows raised and a hint of a smile twisting her lips. “Two hours?”</p><p>“Funny,” he comments, not really finding it in him to take any offense at the dig, smacking a kiss on her cheek without much thinking. He gets rewarded with a soft smile that brings him a decade back in time.</p><p>“I appreciate it, but I know you’d rather sleep,” she says then. “I can deal with it, just go ahead and sleep until noon.”</p><p>“Nah, I’m good,” he immediately answers. He’s mildly surprised to find that he actually means it: he’s pretty well-rested. Yeah, he’s not his sharpest self first thing in the morning, but he doesn’t really <em>want</em> to crawl back into bed. “Tonight was probably the best sleep I’ve gotten in years,” he adds, all too sincerely.</p><p>“Was it?” she echoes, a flirtatious note in her voice as she leans forward for a kiss. He can’t help leaning in, Emma following his lead almost immediately, her fingers going up in his hair as she turns around, twisting her torso so that she can better face him. He is reminded once again of how much he had <em>missed</em> her.</p><p>“See?” she says, softly, pulling back slightly and breathing out against his mouth, a small smile bubbling at her lips. “It will be at least two hours.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This story is part of the <a href="https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject">LLF Comment Project</a>, which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates comments, including:
</p>
<ul>
<li>Short comments</li>
<li>Long comments</li>
<li>Questions</li>
<li>“&lt;3” as extra kudos</li>
<li>Reader-reader interaction</li>
</ul><p>If you don’t want a reply, for any reason, feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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